Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Jason P. Rothberg. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Alright, Jason P. thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. We’d love to have you retell us the story behind how you came up with the idea for your business, I think our audience would really enjoy hearing the backstory.
I arrived in Ireland on a dark, rainy-day in Feb 2018… Los Angeles had become a hostile and at times scary place to be. Unlike the LA I was born in, the division between hate and love, have and have not was deep and continuing to divide. With the bulk of my background entrenched in human rights and environmental work, I couldn’t stomach seeing the homeless problem, and poverty levels hitting an all-time high… and the physical and verbal violence that seemed to be around every corner…. a move seemed to be my best alternative.
So, my wife (at the time) and I packed up and moved “home” – well at least for her folks, Donovan and Linda Leitch. Yes, until recently my wife was Astrella, daughter of legendary singer/songwriter and Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductee, Donovan. Mr. Mellow Yellow, the Sunshine Superman himself. Astrella has worked with her father since she was 7 years old, singing and performing alongside him, now she is very active with his archive, focusing on remakes of his songs for film and TV placement. Making the move to Ireland that much easier…
As I mentioned, it was a dark and rainy day that greeted us at Dublin International and I knew the second I got off the plane that this was a very special place. Living in a desert all my life, the rain was an instant healing welcome, washing away the negative energy absorbed from my big city life.
The first three months living in Ireland were interesting, staying with my in-laws, who so graciously welcomed us into the family home, an old rectory in Co Cork on a nice size plot of land with a church and even a graveyard. Just right for Donovan and Linda, who still live that 60s lifestyle, actively speaking out for environmental health, vegetarians, mediators, yoga masters, and most of all, creatives.
Three months under the same roof was a blessing and motivator – mostly motivating me to find work in Ireland and get our own place.
By month four, we had found heaven in a town named Kenmare and work came easy, as the level of musical talent on this island was and still is mind-blowing. I started working with artists, booking shows for some locals, starting with Astrella’s nephew Joolz Jones, but mostly trying to set up tours for my friends from America and the UK: Andy Summers from The Police, Milfredo Seven from EMF, Neville Staple from The Specials… Which lead me to my now good friend and Dublin-based talent booker, Mark Downing at AMA Music. Mark reps some great Irish acts including Paddy Casey, Blindboy, the Coronas and many others. I am proud to say during this time I also had the pleasure to work with the likes of Sir Bob Geldof, Aslan, DJ John Gibbons, Paddy Casey, and Stephanie Rainey.
Just as things seemed to be taking off for my now new management and promotion company, an old friend named Paul Eyers from LA contacted me about a film he was producing, an Irish-based production called Fairytale. He needed my help to build its soundtrack, leading to my first connection with film star Colin O’Donoghue, who played the lead in this film.
By this point, I had truly fallen in love with the Irish, the culture, the locations, the music, food and wildlife… but most of all how kind and caring the Irish are. Colin brings a whole new level to this – truly talented as an actor and musician, who has hit the highest of highs in his field yet is unaffected by the glitz and glamour of Hollywood. Something I’ve rarely seen in my 30 years in the business.
Everything was flying by the time we finished Fairytale and then the pandemic hit… crushing the music and film industry. By the end of the first year, I was bouncing off the walls wishing my phone would ring with work, with only the local deer to spend time with…
Then Fairytale producer Paul Eyers reached out again, this time asking if I had ever been on Clubhouse. I had not heard of the app and was reluctant to join as I’m not much on public speaking, but boredom got the best of me, and I accepted his invitation.
At first, I was impressed with the concept of all these rooms hosting so many diverse topics, led by “experts”. By the second week of hanging out and listening to some of these conversations I went from curious to frustrated, directly to angry. I was witnessing the worst of the industry, the dream stealers, coming to feed on the most venerable of us
Rooms where the host would say “pay me 100k and I’ll raise you 5mil for your film and get you a Netflix-approved director” or in the music rooms, people who have never been music supervisors or film producers offering to help unknown songwriters secure syncs – all for a fee, of course.
Being the Leo Dog that I am, I couldn’t just walk away… so I started a room of my own. A space where I would unite my friends and contacts to share their experiences in film and music production while spotlighting indie filmmakers looking for music for their current productions. Allowing our audience to submit their music for these sync ops at no cost to them.
Meanwhile, during the pandemic, the world had shifted to Zoom and video conferencing. I was being invited to be part of industry webinars and panels, but I would notoriously turn these offers down until I received an offer to take part in one for the Cannes Film Festival 2021… for a plethora of reasons, I really don’t like video calls. Mostly I just don’t like staring at myself and well, I deal with some mental health issues left over from an abusive childhood that still play a factor in my life.
But there was no way I was going to miss out on Cannes.
Thankfully, I had been developing an animated film with my now two partners and co-founders of Xavatar, Kevin Sharpley and Gianfranco Bianchi. Kev is an award-winning filmmaker based in Miami, who is also a true visionary who brought a vital concept to the avatar creation, metaverse (but that’s for another story). G is one of the great visual artists of his generation with a keen knowledge of AR, AV, animations, and tech.
So, I reach out to G (Gianfranco) and tell him my dilemma: that I need his help to create a real-time reactionary avatar for Zoom calls. In less than four weeks G had a working prototype and my zoom at Cannes was a massive success; the reaction from the filmmakers and the audience was mind-blowing, and immediately I knew we had a business. That’s when I called in Kev to join the team.
Together we would form Xavatar, me as CEO, Kev as COO, and G as CCO.
About this time we turn our Clubhouse room into a podcast, which seemed like fun – that was before I knew how much work was involved! We created a real format for our show, bringing in industry luminaries for an interview, followed by the sync sessions – our team had that morning radio banter thing, which is so much fun and a lot of laughs.
This is about the time I invite Rose Ganguzza (the Godmother of indie film) to our show as a featured guest – her story is epic, and the interview was amazing. In fact, after her interview she contacted me saying she loved what we were doing and wanted to be a part of it. I immediately asked her to join me as a host, and within weeks she had an offer from an aggregator for Apple TV, wanting to turn our new podcast into a TV series. Due to my anxiety about being on camera, I went into a spiral, knowing this could be great for the brand, but also knowing I couldn’t deliver… in no way would I be able to perform in front of a camera.
Then the lightbulb moment happened – the Xavatar avatars could also do real-time animation. They would be the stars of our series. The show becomes our proof of concept.
The team led by G and Kev are masters in animation, so the bridge was easy to cross and soon the show and Xavatar were connected. Knowing we would need support and funding, and as both were created and are now rooted in Ireland, I started to reach out to local government agencies to gain knowledge and create relationships.
Quickly we were being offered introductions to accelerators and grants. We were accepted into one at Trinity College Dublin, Hubstart, and New Frontiers. Giving us access to some amazing mentors and academics, building relationships with the likes of Breandan Gross (Tangent at Trinity), Alan Costello (New Frontiers mentor), John O Dea (Tech Ireland), and Dr. Colin Keogh Ph.D. who have helped us to understand business development here in Ireland.
With all the heat behind us, I knew we needed a “star” to join Rose and me as host – that’s when I reached out to Colin O’Donoghue, who (as I said) is a brilliant actor and musician. Plus, he is Irish. The perfect host for our would-be show. Colin got it immediately and joined the team as Executive Producer and lead host.
Now nearly 3 years in development, Ireland has truly become home. Giving us the love and nourishment, we needed to build our runway. Although the podcast ran out of steam, we came up with a new concept totally focused on film, TV and broadway production and the music with in. We have signed deals with two US TV networks, Up Entertainment and Ovation TV, with plans to launch the series in Q2 2024.
Still with our HQ in Kerry, Ireland, we now also operate out of London, UK, Miami, USA and Toronto, Canada. With G our CCO heading to Japan end of the month curtesy of the Japanese government agency JETRO, who are now working with us to launch there.
The future is bright and without moving to Ireland on that dark rainy day, none of these would be happening.
Jason P., love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?
Jason P. Rothberg (born August 13th, 1970, in Los Angeles, California) is a Label Executive, Artist Manager, Music Producer, Music Supervisor and Film Maker.
OVERVIEW
Rothberg’s diverse 30-year career in the Entertainment Industry started off work under esteemed TV director/producer Steve Binder, writer/actor/producer George McGrath, as well as film and TV producer Lewis Chester,. Shifting from TV production to music Rothberg formed a partnership with Miles Copeland (IRS Records) all by the age of 26, which – in turn – resulted in the creation of charity label Lion’s Pride Recordings.
He’s managed an array of global names, among them legendary Clash frontman Joe Strummer, Andy Summer (The Police) and Rock Hall of Fame inductee Donovan. A lateral thinker, Rothberg has been instrumental in coordinating a slew of collaborations, melding the worlds of music, fashion and charity.
A mentorship with Amnesty International’s executive director, Jack Healey, Rothberg became active in producing benefit concerts and other high profile charity productions that led to the opportunity to raise awareness, and vast sums, for various environmental and humanitarian causes. This in turn led to his work with Tibetan Spiritual leader The Dalai Lama, and His Holiness The Gyalwang Drukpa
As per Rothberg’s impressive Career Compendium to date (further details below), his influence has been
far reaching and on a global scale. Below is just a snapshot of his achievements to date.
CHARITY/LIVE EVENTS
In the early 90s, spending time in the studio and on the road with Lenny Kravitz during the Let Love Rule
era, Rothberg learned the ropes of live promotion and event coordination. Inspired by this pivotal
experience, he founded production company Environmentally Sound.
Here, he organized environmental benefit concerts in conjunction with Lenny Kravitz, Chaka Khan, Guns
‘N’ Roses, Blue Oyster Cult, No Doubt, Untouchables, The Special Beat featuring members of No Doubt,
Mike Watt, Cypress Hill, Green Day, and The Jackson family, among others. Rothberg also helped to
secure talent for the Rio Earth Summit and organized charity events for Tree People, Greenpeace’s
Rainbow Warrior, as well as a variety of additional environmental and human rights charities. Leading to
the creation of Lion’s Pride Recordings in partnership with Miles Copeland (IRS Records / Ark 21 / EMI).
Moving to Europe in 2001 paved the way for Rothberg to partner with his friend and management client,
Neville Staple (the Specials frontman) forming London based Ska label Rude Boy Music and fashion line
Rude Ware.
2009 saw Rothberg working with NYC’s Culture Project to produce an all-star event inside the UN’s
General Assembly Hall as we honour those affected by the slave trade. Featuring talent such as Akon,
Ky-Mani Marley, The Blindboys of Alabama, Phylicia Rashad, Salman Ahmad and Whoopi Goldberg.
In 2016, Rothberg produced and promoted Archbishop Desmond Tutu’s 85th birthday celebrations.
Working hand-in-hand with Tutu’s daughter, Mpho Tutu, he helped bring together an array of household
names, among them host Quincy Jones and Joely Fisher, Incubus, Spencer Davis, Kemo the Blaxican,
Lili Haydn, Steve Vai, Fishbone, and Mighty Mighty Bosstones.
As part of his involvement in The Golden Stone tribute to Brian Jones (2019), Rothberg curated and
booked an array of talent for the event, among them The Stranglers, Lola Lennox, Brian’s grandson Joolz
Jones, The Waterboys and EMF’s Milfredo Seven, and Stefani Rainy.
LABELS
Having gained notoriety through Environmentally Sound, Miles Copeland (RS Records), requested a
meeting with a young Rothberg with a view to forging a partnership. This led to the formation of Lion’s
Pride Recordings, the aim of which was to produce quality compilations for worthy charitable causes.
This first compilation, Generations I: A Punk Look At Human Rights saw Rothberg executive produce
alongside mentor, Jack Healey, with the release benefitting Healey’s Human Rights Action Center. The
title track was written, and performed by, legendary Clash frontman, Joe Strummer with additional songs
donated by Green Day, NOFX, The Vandals, Bad Brains, Lagwagon, Pennywise and more.
In 1998, it was the turn of Epic Records to partner with Lion’s Pride for another charity compilation for
L.A.’s Children Hospital. Again, Rothberg was responsible for coordinating all talent for this all-star tribute
to The Clash, featuring such prominent acts as No Doubt w Billy Idol, Ice Cube w Mack 10 & Korn, Indigo
Girls, Rancid, Silver Chair, 311, Moby w Heather Nova, Third Eye Blind and more.
Throughout this period, Rothberg was managing Strummer. One appearance he negotiated brought
about Strummer’s inclusion in the award-winning platinum-selling Chef Aid: The South Park Album.
Strummer’s track featured Flea (Red Hot Chili Peppers), Nick Hexum (311), DJ BoneBrake (X), and Tom
Morello (Rage Against the Machine) as his accompaniment, all of which was orchestrated by Rothberg.
Rothberg was also responsible for confirming Rancid’s participation in this compilation, leading to
Strummer’s introduction to frontman Tim Armstrong. The next logical step? Rothberg negotiated a record
deal between Strummer’s Mescaleros, and Armstrong’s Hellcat Records (Epitaph).
More recently, Rothberg founded DLFM – a charity record label for the David Lynch Foundation. In
Partnership with iTunes, Download For Good’s debut release featured 34 artists – including Alanis
Morissette, Arrested Development, Ben Folds, Ben Lee, Eurythmics’ Dave Stewart, The Police’s Andy
Summers, Iggy Pop, Maroon 5, Moby, Peter Gabriel, Sean Lennon, The Charlatans, Tom Waits and more
– to express support for the foundation and its visionary director.
MANAGEMENT
Back in 1998, Rothberg founded JPR Management. To date, it’s seen him represent music icons Joe
Strummer, Andy Summers, Donovan, as well as Neville Staple (The Specials), Ranking Rodger & Dave
Wakeing (of the Beat), John Ford-Coley, Killing Joke, Astrella Celeste, Stephanie Rainy and more. In
addition to Strummer, Rothberg’s most enduring client relationship has been with Donovan. In addition to
the usual managerial duties, Rothberg curated the Donovan Discs archives – comprising over 300
unreleased songs and 30 albums – before pitching to major distributors for a label deal. He led a
campaign – alongside Donovan’s daughter Astrella – to get the musician inducted into the Rock & Roll
Hall of Fame, plus collaborating with the City of Los Angeles to declare Sept 3rd, 2016, Donovan Day.
FILM
Rothberg’s early start in the entertainment industry came via Binder Entertainment. Working under TV
producer/directors, Steve Binder and comic actor George McGrath, on the Nickelodeon TV series On The Television, Rothberg learned many aspects of TV production – both in front of and behind the camera.
Rothberg subsequently expanded his production prowess to include a number of film shorts,
documentaries, live TV events, PSA’s, and radio broadcasts. However, it was first love – live event
production – that became the catalyst for Rothberg’s next creative pivot. The event in question was the
Ben Sherman 40th Anniversary Party in London, which he produced alongside Ska icon and original
Rude Boy, Neville Staple (The Specials) and Jerry Dammers (The Specials) – in tandem with a BBC radio
special, entitled The Ben Sherman Radio Hour. The symbiotic nature of music and fashion motivated
Rothberg to collaborate with Staple, and UK fashion mogul David Gold, to create Rude Wear.
1997 saw Rothberg use he’s relationships within the music industry to help place songs in Joe
Eszterhas’s Burn Hollywood Burn as Co-Executive Producer for the Priority Records soundtrack from the
film.
Subsequent film-related work came in many forms, including executive producing 2004’s Rude Boy
Returns DVD. This Staple special saw Rothberg coordinate such talent as Don Letts, BBC Radio DJ/
television host Mark Lamarr, Donovan, Roddy Radiation (The Specials), Ranking Rogers (English Beat),
Chaz Smash (Madness) and members of the Selector and Bad Manners.
In 2008, as part of Rothberg’s Sounds of Our Times endeavours, he coordinated and produced and
executive produced several interviews with well-known figures, including Archbishop Tutu and Moby.
In addition to producing a bonus segment of Donovan’s documentary, Rothberg is currently Music
Supervisor at Irish film production company Fairytale. Here, he’s co-produced the film and music
supervised for Irish music alumni such as Aslan, The Waterboys, Paddy Casey, and many more
ACTIVISM
Among JPR’s proudest moments to date, however, is the human rights collaborations he’s created with
Amnesty International’s Jack Healey, plus his awareness work alongside his cousin, Lisa Bonet. As well
as spearheading the Californians for Compassionate Use events to legalize medical marijuana, Rothberg
had the honour of advising Tibetan Spiritual Leader, the Dalai Lama, on how best to share his message to wider audiences. Rothberg then had the privilege of meeting His Holiness The Gyalwang Drukpa in Paris, France (2006), helping to organize several high-profile events for the Buddhist leader in Los Angeles. To this day, Rothberg continues to promote social, environmental and political consciousness with every
endeavour.
Do you have any insights you can share related to maintaining high team morale?
It’s a very different approach needed when team building for a startup versus working at an established corporate gig. Having done both, I can tell you it is vital to have a deeper connection with your team and staff as a startup. You depend on them to bring you through the growth period, often peppered with dry spouts and sometimes lacking resources. So, team commitment to the overall vision and a willingness to invest their time and energy, no matter what, is the difference between having the runway for liftoff vs stalling out before.
Personally, I tried to keep an open dialogue, reporting to every member of the team about highlights as well as challenges, and ensuring a connective tissue always, which made everyone involved feel as if they were respected and loved.
We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.
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